


Chocolate Therapy

by emphasisonem



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bartender Bucky, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Teacher Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 06:03:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9165325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emphasisonem/pseuds/emphasisonem
Summary: “What can I get for ya, pal?”Steve’s brain chooses that moment to completely short circuit because the brunet’s eyes flick from Steve’s eyes down to his lips, an appreciative glint appearing there as he drags his gaze down along Steve’s broad shoulders and chest, and then back up to meet Steve’s.“Uh,” Steve starts, blinking owlishly as he wracks his brain for beverages he enjoys and before he can really think about it he blurts, “Chocolate milk.”In which Steve has had a rough day and somehow manages to make it worse.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kiriei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiriei/gifts).



> Writer's block is the worst, but I have some rad tumblr followers who send me prompts when my brain refuses to work on the stuff it should be working on. So, here's the first one, a fluffy meet-cute. Hope you guys enjoy it!

It’s been a long, _long_ day.

Timmy Fisher had somehow managed to get a hold of the superglue Steve keeps in his desk for emergency fixes and glued Shanae Carter’s hair to her desk. Bobbi McCallister had knocked over the class ant farm, and the kids had just lost it, screaming at the top of their lungs and scrambling up onto their desks as though Armageddon had been unleashed upon them.

On top of that, the first round of parent-teacher conferences had been today and Blair Carrington’s mother had had zero time for Steve’s insistence that her daughter was stealing from other children and that something needed to be done about it because “she has everything she could possibly want or need, why on earth would she steal from _them_.”

So, Steve feels like it’s understandable that he’s turning into the parking lot of the bar a few blocks from his new home, deciding that it’s finally time to venture inside the local watering hole. The lot’s nearly deserted - it is only 3:30 after all - but Steve takes a deep breath and pulls open the door anyway. He could do with an hour or so of peace and a beer or two.

The bar is dimly lit, but the late afternoon sunshine  streams in through the windows, bathing half the bar in brilliant sunlight, and casting long, strange shadows across the other half. Steve wanders around, watching a tall, dark-haired man serve a couple of older gentlemen before finding a seat where he won’t be blinded.

About two seconds after Steve is settled, the bartender is standing before him, smiling brightly, and holy _shit_ , the guy’s staggeringly sexy. His back had been turned when Steve walked in, and yeah, he’d appreciated the lean line of the stranger’s body, but it’s got nothing on his face. Thick, dark hair falls forward toward the most gorgeous pair of gray eyes Steve’s ever seen. The man’s high cheekbones slope downward to a strong jaw, peppered with stubble, the little cleft in his chin adding a bit of character to his face. And his _lips,_ Jesus, Steve wonders what lips that plush and pink would feel like moving against his own.

“Pal?” the guy’s brow is furrowed in mild confusion, and Steve flushes as soon as he realizes he was staring.

“S-sorry,” Steve stammers, trying to smile at the stranger. “Long day. Spaced out.”

“Well, then, you’ve come to the right place,” the other man replies, leaning against the bar with a welcoming smile. “What can I get for ya, pal?”

Steve’s brain chooses that moment to completely short circuit because the brunet’s eyes flick from Steve’s eyes down to his lips, an appreciative glint appearing there as he drags his gaze down along Steve’s broad shoulders and chest, and then back up to meet Steve’s.

“Uh,” Steve starts, blinking owlishly as he wracks his brain for beverages he enjoys and before he can really think about it he blurts, “Chocolate milk.”

Those stormy eyes widen comically, and the bartender is clearly trying not to laugh at Steve, but he can’t keep an amused grin from his handsome features. Steve smiles tightly, wishing desperately for a sinkhole to open up beneath him and swallow him down because he’s only been this embarrassed maybe twice in his 27 years of existence.

“Chocolate milk,” the bartender drawls, his grin morphing into a slow, lazy smirk, and Steve’s glad he’s sitting down because he thinks his knees would have given if he’d been standing. Before Steve can sputter out a real order, the man says, “Comin’ right up, pal.”

Once he moves away, Steve immediately drops his head to the cool surface of the bar, folding his arms to create a protective barrier around it and groaning softly. _Chocolate milk._ He’s a grown ass man in a bar and he’s just ordered _chocolate milk._ All because he’d been thrown by a nice pair of lips and pretty gray eyes after a day from hell.

A moment or two later, Steve feels tentative fingers tapping at his forearm and he nearly jumps out of his own skin. The brunet’s eyes are wide, but he’s smiling softly as he sets a glass down before Steve.

“Didn’t mean to startle ya,”  he grins, pushing the chocolate milk forward. “You really did have a long day, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Steve deadpans, picking up the glass and taking a sip, humming as the sweet liquid splashes across his tongue. “I actually came here for a couple of beers, but this is perfect.”

“You wanna talk about it?” the bartender asks, that easy grin still lighting up his features. “Your day? As you can see, I’m not exactly busy at the moment.” He gestures around the bar with an exaggerated eye roll, and Steve laughs.

“Sure, yeah,” Steve replies. “Guess I could decompress. I’m Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers.”

“Nice to meet you, Steve Rogers,” the other man extends his hand, and Steve maybe likes the warm, solid feel of it against his own a little bit too much. “James Barnes, but most people call me Bucky. So, what is it you do that led to such a rough day?”

“I’m a teacher,” Steve sighs, running a hand through his flaxen hair. “Second grade.”

Bucky’s eyes light up, and he leans forward, his chin in his hands as he grins. “Cute _and_ good with kids. Tell me _all_ about it.”

Steve does, blushing and stammering his way through the story at first because this guy just called him _cute_ , and by the end of it he’s laughing along with Bucky because it _is_ funny how the day panned out.

“Is every day that eventful?” Bucky chuckles, twirling a strand of dark hair around a finger as he appraises Steve.

“Not _every_ day,” Steve huffs out a laugh, taking another sip of his chocolate milk, liking the way Bucky’s eyes follow the bob of his throat as he swallows. “But there’s rarely a dull moment.”

“I’d love to hear more,” Bucky smiles, a tentative hand resting on Steve’s arm as he gazes at Steve through long, dark lashes. “Maybe Friday night?”

“Are you-” Steve inhales sharply. “Are you asking me out? Like on a date?”

“That was the intent yeah,” Bucky replies, lips curling into that sinful smirk of his. “Of course, if I’m reading you wrong and you’re not into guys, that’s fine. We can still hang out; making friends is always-”

“I’d love to go out on a date with you,” Steve bleats, blushing and smiling when he realizes how eager he sounds. Judging from the pleased grin on Bucky’s face, the brunet doesn’t mind it.

“Yeah?” Bucky answers, and Steve can hear the breathless note in the other man’s voice. It’s reassuring to know the other man’s a little nervous too. “Awesome. Here,” Bucky pulls out his phone, typing in his access code and sliding it to Steve. “Pop your number in there while I get you a refill. You want some booze in the next chocolate milk or?”

Steve smiles, shaking his head. “Nah. It’s perfect just the way it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Feel free to follow me on [tumblr](http://emphasisonem.tumblr.com/) or just send requests or whatever.


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